Pacific Highway (Australia) - Current Status

Current Status

Single carriageway sections from Tweed Heads to Newcastle are progressively being converted to freeway or dual carriageway standards. Numerous sections of single carriageway road have been upgraded by the addition of sections of overtaking lane and pavement widening. Many towns have been bypassed by freeway-standard stretches, though the highway still snakes through several large towns such as Coffs Harbour and Kempsey. Overall the highway has become safer and travelling times have been substantially reduced particularly during holiday periods. However, about 50% (333 km) of the Pacific Hwy is still only one lane in each direction with some form of overtaking opportunity occasionally (or three lanes undivided on occasions), 50% (333 km) is dual carriageway and a further 15% (150 km) of dual carriageway is under construction. From time to time, there are proposals in the media for the private sector to build a fully controlled-access high-speed tollway between Newcastle and the Queensland border, possibly using the BOT system of infrastructure provision. Nothing has eventuated from these proposals.

The Pacific Highway was replaced by the Sydney–Newcastle Freeway as the national route between Sydney and Black Hill in sections between 1965 and 1993. Dual carriageway extends from the New England Highway at Beresfield near the end of the freeway north to a point 3 kilometres south of Bulahdelah, with the section immediately south of Bulahdelah having been completed in October 2009. That section will join with the dual carriageway Bulahdelah bypass currently under construction and due for completion in late 2012. New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority. Retrieved 28 July 2012. North of Buladelah the Pacific Highway is dual carriageway for 163 km (101 mi) from to the Oxley Highway interchange.

North of the Oxley Highway there are dual carriageway sections from Eungai-Warrell Creek, North Urunga to Coffs Harbour, the Coffs Harbour urban area (not freeway standard – but still 4 lanes) and a short section at Halfway Creek. From the Ewingsdale interchange (the Byron Bay exit) the Pacific Highway is dual carriageway for the remainder of its length to Brisbane. This section of the highway has just one traffic signal, at Banora Point (or Sextons Hill) which will be bypassed following the completion of the Banora Point Upgrade currently under construction and due for completion in late 2012. Projects currently under construction are the Kempsey Bypass (due for completion in mid 2013), Sapphire-Woolgoolga Upgrade (due for completion in 2014), Glenugie Upgrade, Ballina Bypass (nearing completion) and the Tintenbar-Ewingsdale Upgrade. Construction of the 17 kilometre Tintenbar-Ewingsdale commenced in late 2011. The upgrade includes a new alignment between Tintenbar and Ewingsdale and a twin-tube road tunnel under St Helena Hill is expected to be completed in 2014.

Environmental impact assessments have been completed for the following future projects: Warrell Creek to Urunga upgrade, Oxley Highway to Kempsey.

Preferred routes have been selected for the following future projects: Woodburn to Ballina Upgrade, Wells Crossing to Iluka Road, Woolgoolga to Wells Crossing F3 Freeway to Raymond Terrace Upgrade.

The Coffs Harbour bypass is currently in planning and a traffic master plan for the Tweed includes:

• Banora Point deviation (2.5 km) – In 2010–2015 – completed
• 4-way (full diamond) access ramps of Kirkwook Road – In 2015–2020
• The Tweed Heads/Tugun bypass (5 km) widening to six lanes (3 lanes in each direction) – In 2020–2025.

These projects form part of a 2009–2016 program jointly funded on a 50–50 basis by the Commonwealth and NSW governments to upgrade the Hexham-Gold Coast stretch of the Pacific Highway to dual-carriageway standard.

The five major objectives for the Pacific Highway upgrade are:

1. Four lanes from Brisbane to Ewingsdale Interchange (Byron Bay exit) by 2007 – completed
2. Four lanes from north Urunga to Coffs Harbour by 2008. completed
3. Four lanes from Sydney to Oxley Highway Interchange (Port Macquarie exit) by 2009 (except for Bulahdelah and the approaches to Bulahdelah).
4. Four lanes from Brisbane to Ballina by 2014.
5. Four lanes for all the rest of the Pacific Highway by 2016.

In 2007 mounting pressure was place on the Federal Government to provide additional funding for the highway. On 10 October 2007 the Federal Minister for Transport and Regional Services pledged $2.4 billion in funding for the highway, subject to dollar for dollar funding by the NSW state government. However, the NSW state government refused to match funding. In the lead up to the 2007 Federal election, then opposition leader Kevin Rudd pledged $1.5 billion in funding. As part of Auslink 2 (Nation Building Program), the Federal Govt announced in its 2009 Federal budget that $3.1 billion would be spent on the highway up until 2014 at which time just 63% of the highway would be duplicated. The NSW Government will spend just $500 million over that same period, with $300 million cut as a result of the 2008 mini budget.